Eyes In The Mirror
by Raychel945
Summary: After Civil War, the Avengers were damaged. Pushed together as a team, hatred crops up between them. Friends are enemies, and life is a strained heap of avoidance and tip-toeing. Pepper Potts wants the old team back. The one that made her have headaches daily and laugh at their antics. But what does an ex-Army, rehabilitated alcoholic have to do with it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers! Rights belong solely to Marvel. I do however own my OC.

At least two years after the Sokovia Accords, the Avengers had moved back into Stark Tower. Despite the changes made to the Accords more than a few were unhappy about having to sign on, but it meant they would no longer be criminals in, and their citizenship would be valid once more. Conflict, however rose amongst them as they were now in close proximity to each other. Most of the conflict was limited to Rogers and Stark, but also cropped up among others. Vision found that his friendship with Wanda was under strain, Natasha felt betrayed by Bruce, and even Clint found it hard to remain on friendly terms with Nat. They both knew that they'd never regret their choices, but the decisions regarding the people they'd supported had put a strain on their relationship that nothing else could have matched. They were not uncivil towards each other, but they could only compromise so much of their beliefs in order to maintain a civil friendship. Having taboo subjects made it much harder for them to keep up a conversation, especially when they knew that the subject should be hashed out, but they knew there were only so many places where they could find common ground.

Matters weren't the same way with Steve and Tony. They had never been close in the sense of friends, but there had been a sense of camaraderie which was utterly lost. The two teammates had now become bitter rivals. Tony made a point of avoiding Steve as much as he could before inevitably they'd run into each other. Thor, who knew very little about the fight was the only Avenger who could step between the two of them without being in danger of getting hurt or Hulking-out. It didn't really make much of a difference. Physical fights weren't really allowed and so much of the fighting was verbal. But it made the Tower a poisonous place to be. Pepper had tried to calm them both down and they had responded out of respect for her, but she too was biased towards Tony and pissed off at Steve for abandoning him in Siberia. And since getting pissed off involved her getting quite fiery in the most literal sense, Pepper decided to call it quits with Tony. They parted friends, mutually understanding they'd been heading there anyway, and besides they'd managed to stay friends for over twenty years, a breakup was nothing. It gave Steve an excuse to be horrible to Tony about it, and the venomous air between them grew even more potent.

Somehow Bruce managed to avoid the two enemies completely except for Tony when he went in the lab, but after the first time Tony had ranted Bruce had put his foot down and asked that the lab be kept a bitterness-free zone. Tony had complied easily, and it had been fairly peaceful bar the few times Tony had stormed in like a tornado and worked himself in a frenzy. He'd emerge after 98 hours or so to grab coffee and donuts and then go to bed leaving Bruce to sigh in relief and clean up his mess. Around Natasha however, he was a different story. He'd tiptoe around her and never made eye-contact which was frustrating, but since there was already so much conflict around the tower she never pushed and he never apologised. Clint would often look between the two of them with a worried air, but he never interfered understanding the importance of peace.

It wasn't the same story with Wanda and Vision. Vision had asked for her side of the story to try and understand her reasons, and she'd complied but not without a touch of bitterness. She'd hated being restrained and Clint brought out the best in her, encouraging her and understanding her. He'd given her appropriate space, but he'd never let her mope and she'd appreciated it. They understood each other's views but simply couldn't reconcile. In addition, Wanda was still mourning Pietro's death, and found after all the stress she needed time to cope. So Vision let her be, and although they argued, it was always moderated by Clint and was never let out of hand. It was simply strained, but not marred by close friendships with the other team members, who'd known each other far longer than they had.

Natasha found herself on not so great terms with Tony. He'd been hurt by her changing sides, but he also knew she'd been trying to even the playing field for herself and still have options. He could respect that in her, but he couldn't look at her the same way. To him she'd aided and abetted Steve and Bucky. It hurt both of them, but they held a weird sort of mutual respect for each other that ran too deep for her to properly be hurt by his accusations, and he couldn't cast her off simply because she'd played all the fields. If he'd been in her position he would have done the same thing. Her actions kept her in neutrality with King T'Challa, Steve and himself and he respected her for that, just as she respected him for standing his ground.

Clint had gone to Tony and told him that his reasons, and for some reason Tony understood. They'd both wanted the best for Wanda, but Tony had gone about it the wrong way. Clint hadn't wanted to hurt him he'd simply gone with the person who'd called him first. He'd taken one look in Tony's sad, brown eyes and apologised profusely. Tony let him back in and asked after his "agents" as he jokingly referred to Clint's family. They'd drunk cheap beer on the balcony and planned a few pranks on Wanda that would be funny.

Sam had no clue where to fit in. His friendship with Steve had placed him firmly on Steve's side, but he tried to maintain as neutral a status as possible. Natasha creeped him out, Clint was cool, he was fond of Wanda, but Thor was a freaking God, Bruce was the Hulk, Vision was a bit deep to have a normal conversation with and Tony, well. He couldn't look at Tony without being reminded of the heartbroken look on the man's face when Rhodey had dropped from the sky. He'd bow his head every time he passed the man and a sickening sensation would enter his stomach. He couldn't physically stand being in the same room as Rhodey himself and guilt swamped him nightly like darkness.

Rhodey would stick to Tony like glue, and for all Tony's many faults according to Steve, no comment was ever made on how Tony would fuss over his friend. Natasha would ask him if he needed help and he struck up a budding friendship with her. As a man who'd had a lot to do with diplomats and politicians, he appreciated a woman who was a master of both without being boring. He like Tony admired the way she'd made a place for herself with everyone. It was a bit disconcerting, but he still admired her for it. And he enjoyed drinking cheap beer with Clint, and playing card games. With everyone else bar Wanda, he pulled the neutrality card. Wanda was young, only a teenager and so he made a point to stick around her knowing the teenage years were often the hardest, and that she'd lost her twin.

Scott had begged off the Avengers and Ross hadn't particularly cared about him so he was dropped. He'd still visit, but they were infrequent and he was enjoying a peaceful life for a change. As for Peter Parker, he was a minor and Tony had revealed this to Ross without letting his name slip. So Spider-Man was a non-Avenger, but he still sent emails to Tony and chatted to Bruce about science. T'Challa was a King and so he remained in Wakanda, and sent regular updates to Steve about Bucky.

However, the fights still continued and Pepper needed Tony to sign paperwork and things like that. So she decided to find a personal assistant, who could easily work among the Avengers. She posted an ad detailing a job working for herself and immediately received a flood of applications.

* * *

Pepper sighed as she sifted through the job applications that had been delivered by post or dropped off. Chelsea from Public Relations had sifted through the files and marked the ones that wouldn't be good and the ones that would be. Pepper made a mental note to thank her as she reached for the stack of bad ones. The first résumé looked fairly good, until she reached previous jobs. The kid had worked in retail, and hairdressing. Pepper winced and set the résumé aside, reaching for another one. There were hairdressers galore, baristas, pool attendants, retail workers, there was even a surveyor putting in a CV. The bad stack was depleted, and Pepper reached for the good stack. It was full of interns, secretaries, and real estate agents. Granted most of them _had_ the qualificationsnecessary, but she still felt unhappy with the majority. By the twentieth _good_ CV Pepper had taken to skimming through them and so reached the bottom of the stack faster.

At the bottom lay one marked both good and bad, and she hesitated before picking it up. The kid called Kaitlyn Donaheilly had graduated school at seventeen, and had jumped straight into the army. She'd stayed there for nine and a half years, leaving with the rank of sergeant major, and then went through college with a part time job. She'd graduated with two degrees, one in political science, and one in public relations and started work at Stark Industries as a junior intern for the IT department. Pepper read it twice over, and set it aside.

A few quick searches dug up plenty of information. She'd buried her grandparents at twelve and fourteen, her parents at fifteen, and then she'd graduated top of her class. Her three brothers were already in the army and she joined them, rising to the rank of sergeant major after six years of service, and had been assigned with them to Afghanistan, where two of her brothers had died. The third was paralysed, crippled for life, and the girl dissolved into an alcoholic. She went to rehab and her brother died in her second month there. In her third month she left after going cold turkey, and attended her brothers funeral. A former colleague had recommended her to a job, and she'd gone to Uni to get her degrees while paying off her bills with money from her army pay and the job she'd taken in retail. After she'd graduated she'd taken the job here, and had been working steadily for four years. She was currently thirty-three, and working towards a degree in computer coding online. There were many letters of reference from former colleagues and teachers which painted her in a good light. Pepper skimmed through the file once more, tapped her teeth, and then reached for the phone.


	2. Arrival

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. All rights belong to Marvel. I just own my OC.

Pepper stared intensely at the young woman in front of her. The stare was met by a cool gaze, that betrayed no sign of nervousness. The eyes were blank, like an empty canvas, and the expression neutral. Pepper leaned forward and spoke carefully.

"Did you know you're the only applicant I've spoken to?" She asked calmly watching for a flicker or anything that might betray her, but the eyes stayed blank.

"I had no idea." The voice was well moderated and betrayed nothing like the eyes. They were exceptionally neutral. Pepper leaned back and studied her again. There was no emotion displayed anywhere whatsoever. Her clothing was arranged with military precision, and she was neat and tidy. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, with a few strands down the front that softened the sternness of her look. Pepper leaned forward again.

"I've chosen you because you have skills suitable for the purposes I have. You're ex-army, correct." A nod, still no emotion. Pepper steepled her hands. "If you accept this job, I will assign you to Tony Stark. He will be your assignment. And by extension so will the rest of the Avengers." There was still no flicker. Simply blank acceptance.

"If I choose to accept, what would my assignment require of me." Complete and utter neutrality.

"A lot of patience. You would be regarded suspiciously for an indefinite length of time. For the most part you will not be regarded as anyone of any importance. You will simply be Stark's PA, and nothing else. However as he is your assignment, only I would have the power to fire you. You would have access to a credit card, and while he will insist I only have 12% of the tower, I actually have 50 which I give you permission to use, meaning he can't kick you out. You would get your own suite. However, as your employer I have to warn you. Are you aware of the Sokovia Accords?"

"Yes."

"Stark and Captain Rogers have become bitter rivals. As a soldier I don't think they'd care about fighting, believing you could take care of yourself. With a little alterations to your file, you'd be a civilian. As a civilian they couldn't ignore the threat they'd pose to your health. I need them to stop fighting for the sake of the Avengers and for the friendships that were once there. But they won't listen to me. For someone nameless and blameless to them to get between them, they'd have to stop fighting. Would you be willing to take the job?" Silence stretched on for a few minutes as Pepper let her process the information. Finally, the cool gaze returned and she nodded n acceptance.

"I could do that for you." She stated calmly, and Pepper breathed a sigh of relief. A thick file exchanged hands and Pepper pulled up a few pictures of different rooms and suites.

"Pick a suite. I have a bet if you want to accept."

* * *

They were at it again. There had been peace for six days this time and then Tony had come up to get a drink. God forbid he do that, and Steve had started up. Tony was in no mood to take bullshit and had snarled back angrily, starting a spat that had lasted twenty minutes. It was an intimidating sight to see. Two angry men, one brunette, one blond staring at each other, exchanging venom in the form of words that made the people around them flinch. Eyes as hard as rocks, glaring at each other with cold, deep fury in them. The postures were angry, gearing up for a fight, and Tony had his whisky glass clenched in a vicelike grip, that matched the tension in the air and in his body. Steve stood tall looming over the smaller man in abject fury, fists clenched in anger as he snarled at the shorter man. Tony didn't hesitate in returning the volley. It was a flurry of accusations and poisonous words being spat at each other leaving no room for refuting. Off to the side, Natasha sat poised on the edge of her seat like a caged bird about to fly. Her Widow's Bites were firmly in hand waiting to be released at the tigers in the room. Everyone else was watching with baited breath, hoping that one of them would give up, but knowing that interference would be seen as unwelcome.

Kaitlyn had taken the elevator, which had silently arrived. Not even her luggage containing her sparse belongings made any noise on the linoleum, and her heels didn't click. She stopped outside the entrance just out of sight, watching them. The air was thick with tension and it felt bitter. As she watched Rogers stepped closer to Stark, and the room grew even more charged. It was heading towards physical blows with every poison filled word. Coming to a decision, she stepped into the room and headed straight for the other side, stopping between the two men long enough to catch their attention. They looked utterly confused, and she reached out and took the glass of expensive whiskey and downed it before leaving the room on the other side.

There was a moment of hesitation than the entire group as one got up and followed her down the hall to a suite of rooms. Curiously, they tried to make out who she was as she pulled her luggage into the room. Even as she unpacked they studied her.

Feet encased in kitten heels of black leather displayed nice ankles, leading to a pair of slimish legs. They followed up to a pair of thighs that were sturdy, and encased in black flared pants. Her hips were well-rounded and her body proportions were even. Her waist was thin in the typical hourglass and she wore a forest green blouse with no buttons. A black jacket finished the trouser suit, and it closed around her arms nicely. Her shoulders were held back, and even at a distance a glance would tell you she was fairly muscular without looking ridiculous. A slim neck led up to a soft jaw, and a pair of sharp cheekbones. Sharp eyebrows hung over round eyes of a deep emerald green, and her lips were full and rosy. Her hair was a deep brown with streaks of blonde and red in them from long exposure to the sun, and her skin was nicely tanned in a sort of brown beige colour. On the whole she was pleasantly attractive, but there was a distinctive no-nonsense air in the way she carried herself.

Even as they watched she strode out of her room, pulling an IPad from her handbag and flicking through it. As she reached the kitchen, she opened the fridge and pantry and began typing rapidly, making a thorough investigation. She was clearly flicking through aps and they watched as she continued scrolling and taping. They'd been watching her for ten minutes before she completed her list. She pulled out a card and began typing rapidly again entering in the credit card details before she completed her order. When she looked up from her IPad they were still there. She strode forward, and held out her hand to Tony looking as though a volcanic eruption in her general vicinity wouldn't faze her.

"Mr Stark, I'm Kaitlyn Donaheilly. I'm your new PA, Miss Potts sent me." Tony, at a complete loss for words simply shook her hand and nodded. As soon as her hand was released she brushed past them and went into her room and shut the door. After staring after her for a full minute the group quietly dispersed, Tony to his lab, and the rest to various places around the Tower.

In her room Kaitlyn stood in the middle taking in her surroundings. It was a nice suite. The walls were a powder blue, with hints of mint green in them, and the carpet was a deep red, almost burgundy in colour. The sitting area was spacious, with a flat screen TV and a DVD area. The couch was a leather three seater with a coffee table in front of it. Off on the far wall was a little kitchenette, with a bar stool that was facing the windows. The glass panes took up an entire wall, and were neatly framed by curtains of a dusky rose colour. The view was absolutely spectacular as it overlooked the waterfront. A door led off to the bedroom where a king size bed dominated the room. It was walnut and so was the rest of the furniture, and a shaggy beige coloured ottoman sat next to the window. That view overlooked the city on the other side revealing the bustling streets, and again the curtains were a dusky rose. Another door led off to a bathroom, where a massive tub sat. It fairly screamed decadence and Kaitlyn could only be glad it wasn't pink. The bathroom had no carpeting, only soft shaggy bath rugs, but the scheme was blues and greens. The window only took up half a wall this time, and the blinds covered the same view as the bedroom. A massive mirror was screwed onto one wall, and she regarded her stoic figure in the mirror passively. She turned to unpack.

Trouser suits were hung up in the wardrobe, shoes were set down. Personal items were placed around the room. A massive duffel bag was unpacked and the various books were placed around the rooms on tables and chairs. By the time she'd unpacked, it looked like someone was staying in a hotel. A glance at the timer on her IPad sent her out of her room and back into the only big kitchen in the tower. Romanoff was there sitting at the kitchen sipping coffee. The assassin glanced up warily at her, and watched as she went to the fridge. If the look she sent was meant to be intimidating, it meant nothing Kaitlyn, who simply continued with what she was doing. For a place full with grown-ass people, the fridge was a horrible indication of diet.

Open packets of poptarts, leftover takeaways, old apples, and two cartons of beer were all the fridge contained. Kaitlyn regarded it with the same stoic expression she'd regarded herself with in the mirror. She reached in and pulled out everything, binning the things that smelt, and setting aside the ones that didn't, which was a packet of strawberry poptarts, and the beer. She turned to the cupboards and rifled around for cloths and cleaning fluids. A half empty bottle of cleaner lay on its side, and a packet of unopened cloths with grease stains lay abandoned amongst empty containers of takeout, and oil cans. Ripping open the packet of cloths she preceded to wipe down the interior of the fridge and the outside. It was a massive two-door affair, and it looked enormous when emptied. Kaitlyn shut it, and opened the freezer, which was empty except for a packet of icy poles. A ding resounded through the kitchen and Kaitlyn turned to find her order had arrived. Romanoff was staring at her continuously, and she nodded at the woman before heading to the elevator.

A couple of men were chattering outside with trolleys, unloading boxes and crates from the back of the food truck. She signed the form one held out, and grabbed a crate for herself guiding them silently to the elevator. The awe they felt at being in Stark Tower was apparent and they never made a sound when they took the elevator up to the living area. When they stepped into the big kitchen, both of them regarded Romanoff with something akin to fear when they realised the deadly Russian was sitting there silently watching them. The load was deposited on the floor, and they went back for more, bringing the goods back and forth, before one of them handed her the final box. Kaitlyn quietly thanked them for their business, and watched them wander out slowly, still staring in awe around the massive building. When she stepped into the kitchen she realised that Maximoff was investigating the crates while Romanoff watched. The teenager pulled out cans of tomatoes and looked up at Kaitlyn. There were bottles of milk in one crate and tins and cans everywhere. Five boxes of vegetables sat on the floor, and the room was suddenly crowded. Kaitlyn set the final box in a corner near a power plug and felt rather than heard the two of them move over to regard it curiously.

"Professional coffee machine. Why would we need zat?" Maximoff asked curiously.

"To make coffee." Romanoff dead-panned, and then leaned over to read the sides. "Comes with tamp, two jugs, and free cleaning utensils. What the heck is a tamp?" She asked in her turn, looking utterly confused. Kaitlyn regarded her blankly, before opening the box and pulling out the parts. She held up an object that resembled an hourglass shape but was flat at the bottom and with a handle.

"This is a tamp. It presses the coffee down so you get more from it through the machine." The two of them simply looked confused. "I'll show you how it works if you help me put all the stuff away. Deal?" They nodded and began picking up boxes and opening them. One big polystyrene box contained a lot of meat and it was packed in the freezer. In no time at all, the kitchen was full of empty boxes, which were set aside. Kaitlyn pulled out a coffee cup and a big bag of coffee beans. A coffee grinder was set to one side and she filled it up,with beans before starting it. It took her fifteen minutes to run through making a coffee and explaining how the parts worked. At the end of it, they looked more understanding, and Maximoff repeated her question.

"But I still do not understand why we need one of zese?"

"I make coffee." Kaitlyn replied, and they blinked back at her. "I was trained professionally. This is a real coffee machine to make real coffee." The teen blinked at her, nodded, poked the machine once, and then left tossing thanks over her shoulder as she left the room. Romanoff looked perplexed, and then she too left. Kaitlyn blinked and then stared at the boxes littering the benches.

"A very succinct explanation Miss Donaheilly. Would you like to know where to put the boxes?" JARVIS spoke up from the ceiling, and Kaitlyn looked up the ceiling and then sighed lightly.

"You may as well. I certainly don't know." And following JARVIS's directions, she left the room to clean up. Along the way she got lost multiple times, but the blank expression on her face never wavered. She made her way down to a trash compactor, and left the boxes there, making several trips back and forth. On her last trip she bumped into someone unexpectedly. The precarious stack of boxes fell over, and she looked over the last one at Clint Barton. The archer had a guilty look on his face.

"Oops." He said, and bent down and started stacking them back up. Kaitlyn set down the box and joined him. She noticed that he kept looking at her, with something akin to curiosity and confusion. When the stack was complete she picked them up, and he stood there looking indecisive. "Do you want me to help you carry them?" He asked, and she shook her head, adjust the boxes at her side rather than in front.

"I can carry them just fine. I simply didn't expect to bump into anyone on my way down here." Clint nodded.

"The shooting range is down here. Tony moved it after I started using exploding arrows in the range." She nodded as if satisfied by that.

"Was he the target, or was he just annoyed and you breaking his concentration?" She asked dryly and Clint smirked.

"Nope. I just got bored." Kaitlyn nodded, before moving down to the trash compactor.

"So he moved the range to the same floor as the trash compactor. Was that incidental or on purpose?" She threw over her shoulder as she placed the boxes in the trash room, and then left. Clint frowned in thought and then shrugged.

"I don't actually know. Might have been both. I pity you, you know. There aren't many people who've been Tony's PA, and he's a bit full on." Kaitlyn tilted her head to the side and then moved past him, up the stairs to the elevator.

"Miss Potts informed me as to what I could expect. She put in a recommendation for a lawyer in case of harassment or physical harm. Apparently, Mr Stark can be an aggressive drunk sometimes. She also informed me that I could expect help from Dr Banner, Miss Romanoff and yourself." Clint raised both eyebrows in surprise.

"Did she tell you that before or after you accepted?" He said, a hint of concern tinging his voice.

"Before. She gave me a file to read on Stark, and a file with brief guides to the rest of the team. She mentioned that I would undoubtedly be regarded with suspicion for some time, and that I would be in close contact with sufferers of PTSD, and a few other issues." Clint actually resembled a gaping fish for a second.

"She said we had issues like that!"

"She strongly suspected it. Reading the overviews, I wouldn't be surprised. Some of you may not even know it. She believes that Miss Maximoff is strongly grieving, depressed and suffering from PTSD, that Dr Banner is grieving the loss of lives in Sokovia and is also depressed, that you are depressed and experiencing PTSD as well, Miss Romanoff may well be the same, Mr Stark is probably suffering from PTSD, depression, eating issues, insomnia, self-hatred, lack of self-respect, alcohol abuse, restless leg syndrome, paranoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, sleep terror, agoraphobia, and acute stress disorder not necessarily in that order. Captain Rogers is apparently having anger issues, depression, and she suspects Bipolar." Clint was staring at her.

"She. Pepper? Pepper Potts suspects all that!" He exclaimed, stuttering as he got it out. "And you still took the job! What is she paying you eight hundred thousand?"

"Two hundred thousand actually. And I took the job because I'm certifiably insane." And so saying she exited the elevator and went to her room leaving a gaping archer behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers. All rights belong to Marvel. I just own my OC.**

It was too early in the morning for most people to be up and about, but Natasha had been up for an hour already, working out in the gym, and she knew that Steve was out running around the city. So as she entered the kitchen she honestly did not expect to encounter another living being, much less Stark's new PA. So it was completely understandable that she lodged a knife in the bench next to the girl's hand. When Natasha realised who it was a split second after she threw the knife, she relaxed a tiny bit. Inside however she wondered how the girl didn't flinch and admired her just a tiny bit for not doing so. Kaitlyn simply looked at the knife, and pulled it clear of the bench in one smooth motion, before reversing the handle so the blade rested in her hand, and then extended the knife to Natasha. Natasha stepped forward and took the knife sheathing it, before heading to get her cup. A low, clear voice stopped her in her tracks.

"How do you like your coffee?" Nat stared at Kaitlyn for a second before she gestured to the French Press.

"Made by myself." She said, and then nearly bit her tongue. She'd nearly pinned the girl's hand to the bench, and then she insults her. Granted Nat had had better mornings. Kaitlyn simply nodded, and went back to sipping her coffee calmly as though the entire exchange had been civil. A cool breeze filtered through the open windows, and Nat slowly inhaled the smell of the sea it held. There was nothing fresher than sea air, and Natasha propped herself on a bar stool on the other side of the kitchen. This way she could look at the view and keep an eye on the other woman. A woman who was far too calm for someone who had nearly been stabbed not two minutes ago. Soft footsteps came down the hall, and Steve walked into the room covered in a sheen of sweat. He nodded a greeting to Natasha, and went to get his cup, before he noticed Kaitlyn sitting there. He tensed automatically before he registered who she was. Again, she spoke.

"How do you like your coffee?" Steve looked utterly confused before he realised she was gesturing to a coffee machine he'd seen in cafés. He shook his head.

"I make my own coffee, but thanks." He said and went to get a cup before he noticed a deep groove in the bench space next to the girl. It looked like a knife mark, and he turned to Natasha who slowly shrugged. He sighed and turned back to the machine, reaching for another cup as he heard Sam come in. The Falcon slumped his upper body against Steve's back in a smooshy thank you, and jumped a foot in the air when he noticed Kaitlyn. She calmly regarded him, and then sipped her coffee. Sam stared at her openly, taking in her form in a caffeine-less haze. He felt Steve press a cup into his hand and he automatically drank from it feeling much more alert afterwards. They joined Natasha at the breakfast bar and watched the sun start to rise over Manhattan.

A few minutes later Vision came in, holding a very sleepy Wanda's arm. The teenager was simply letting him drag her to the kitchen, and he pulled her over to the coffee press. Wanda stared at it hopelessly, and Vision looked at Natasha, who sighed and pushed Wanda gently away from the machine, and grabbed her cup, and started the machine. Wanda simply stared ahead of her before she noticed the unfamiliar person in the room. An unholy shriek spilled from her lips and red magic curled around a couple of nectarines before it hurled them at the woman. Kaitlyn simply ducked, and resumed drinking slowly from her cup. Vision looked almost shocked by Wanda's outburst, but Natasha, Steve, and Sam had smirks on their faces. Wanda pressed a hand to her heart, and breathed heavily, trying to calm down after the sudden adrenaline rush.

"Oh God!" She yelped, and then leaned over to apologise to Kaitlyn, who waved it aside matter-of-factly. Natasha pressed a cup of coffee into her hand, and Wanda sat down heavily at the massive table. It was at this point, Clint emerged, and like the others went straight for the press. He waved a hand at Kaitlyn, and hopped up on the bench, ignoring the glare Natasha shot at him. He grabbed his cup of coffee with a sigh, and drank deeply. When he looked up he found himself being looked at very steadily, and an eyebrow raise was thrown into the equation.

Now, he'd only known Kaitlyn less than 24 hours, but she'd never raised an eyebrow at anyone. Not even when Steve and Tony went at it over pizza. She'd stepped in between them, and stood there staring at her phone as if oblivious to the shouting. When Steve had sarcastically told Tony he was hiding behind a woman like a coward, she'd raised her head very slowly. Her spine straightened, and her shoulders had snapped back, and every visible muscle tensed. Her voice, which was already low had deepened almost dramatically, and she stepped closer to him without hesitation, and had spoken.

"Say that again, and you'll be hiding behind Romanoff. I didn't come here to stop a pair of toddlers from fighting. I have an actual job." Behind her Tony had winced, and stepped away from the fight. After a minute, Steve had followed suit. No eyebrow had ever been raised, but one had twitched. It was having seen this that made Clint hop off the bench. The eyebrow went down, and he went and sat next to Wanda, and made a point of not looking at Natasha, or anyone else for that matter.

As soon as Kaitlyn finished her cup of coffee, she scanned the room and headed to the fridge, pulling out two dozen eggs. Everyone in the room watched as the newest of the group began making scrambled eggs with ease. She had started cooking the mixture and was pulling out bacon, when Bruce and Tony entered, Rhodey behind them. Tony did a double take at the person in the kitchen before turning to Bruce and complaining loudly.

"Why can't you cook?" Bruce snorted, and pushed him to the coffee machine, which easily captured his attention. The last three on the team sat down, and watched the PA cook their breakfast. Natasha could honestly say she had no idea how she did it. There were nine of them eating and one was a super-soldier. Somehow Kaitlyn juggled cooking eggs, bacon, toast, poptarts, and setting it all up. Nat simply watched her, secretly in complete awe at the way she cooked with ease. The jury moved closer to being out by one percent. By the time everything was cooked they were all sitting at the table except Vision, who would read in a chair by the window. A couple of pitchers of orange juice, and water were set up, with cups, plates and cutlery. It looked so utterly domestic that Nat wondered how in hell, she'd managed it. Soon platters of food were making their way over. A mountain of toast with butter on the side, fried crispy bacon, a stack of poptarts, a huge load of fluffy scrambled eggs, and finally French toast.

Hums of appreciation were sent towards the cook, and they waited patiently for her to finish loading and sit down. Natasha reached for a piece of French toast, and found her hand being smacked away. She looked up wide-eyed at Kaitlyn who set down a pile of jams, and went back to the pantry for for spreads. Nat blinked, and reached for a piece again, and the same thing happened. Tony sniggered at her, and reached for a bit of bacon, the resounding smack echoed through the room, and he withdrew his hand with sad puppy-dog eyes which had absolutely no affect on the object of their appeal. Nat reached again for a piece of toast, and a third time her hand was smacked away. She sent her most ferocious glare straight at her opponents eyes and in doing so got the first real glimpse at the woman inside. The eyes were dead, there was no mask of blankness, they were just deadened. Shocked, she let her glare slip, and the blank look was redirected to the food as Kaitlyn sat down. The jury was back in favour of suspicion, and Natasha found herself wondering how a civilian came about such a look. Then Kaitlyn nodded at them all and there was a general rush for food.

Plates were stacked high with the glorious food, and even Tony took more than just bacon after he received a Look. The room was silent except for cutlery scraping against china, and the sounds of a page turning. Most of them reached for seconds contentedly. The jury was now in favour of the defendant. The food was absolutely amazing, and Nat found herself reaching for thirds, and drinking happily from her glass of orange juice. Down the table, Tony sighed in satisfaction.

"If you're my PA, how come you can cook?" He asked Kaitlyn, and she leaned forward to answer.

"Which would you rather have, food or paperwork?" She replied, and Tony wrinkled his nose and reached for another rasher of bacon. For once the table was free from arguing, as they forwent it for eating. When they'd finished eating, there was a lot of belly-patting, and belching. Well, there was belching until Nat glared. Tony let out a loud burp for the last time and sighed happily.

"Since you can cook I'll keep you on." He said jokingly, and Kaitlyn regarded him steadily.

"You can't fire me anyway." And Tony sat up straight.

"What do you mean I can't fire you! You're my PA aren't you?"

"You're my assignment, Mr Stark. I was hired by Miss Potts, and only Miss Potts can fire me. Calling me _your_ PA is like saying the cat lady owns the cats. It's the other way around. The cats owns the lady, and you are my assignment." Tony looked sad for a moment, then he brightened.

"But I own the Tower so I could kick you out if I wanted to."

"Miss Potts owns 50%, and she's letting me use it indefinitely. So, no you can't kick me out." Tony frowned.

"I can override your access."

"I have the use of Miss Potts' access override code."

"Damn." Tony said inelegantly. Clint sniggered from his place, and the others were smirking. Steve opened his mouth to say something, and her head whipped up and turned in his direction. His jaw snapped shut, and Tony smirked. Natasha found herself liking the girl a little bit more. Inside her mind however, she was coming up with multiple scenarios for a civilian being so blank. There were no visible ticks, or personality traits, she appeared to be a blank slate. By the time everyone had finished eating the sun had fully risen over Manhattan, and the city below was bustling. For once Natasha felt inclined to lounge around, and so she went up to her room to select a book. When she'd come back after the Civil War as they'd called it, she'd found her book shelves full of books in Russian. Classics, and modern tales were mixed together. Tom Clancy, with Dickens and Austen, and all in Russian. She selected Wuthering Heights and went back to the common room flopping down on the chair across from Vision. He looked up at her briefly and went back to his reading and Natasha surrounded herself in her book. Despite her avid love for novels, she was hyperaware of the other presence just in the other room. She knew that Bruce would be helping Kaitlyn clean up, and she wondered just how well the Doctor would get along. To her surprise however, it wasn't Bruce who exited the kitchen, but Clint. He lounged inelegantly on the arm of her chair, and read over her shoulder. An arm draped across her back, and she felt light fingers tapping against her neck in Morse code. She positioned herself so that she could reply.

" **Did you see her eyes?** " Clint asked silently, and Natasha sniffed, turning the page, and resting her hand next to his thigh.

" **Her gaze is blank. How does a civilian get a poker face like that? It took me a fair while.** " She tapped back inconspicuously.

" **Maybe she lost all her family to the battle with Loki?** "

" **Possibly. But there's nothing there. No ticks. Do you think she was trained?** "

" **I don't know. Keep observing for now.** " Nat nodded talking out loud this time.

"How are the kids?" She asked curiously, and Clint smiled.

"They keep asking for Auntie Nat. Laura is nearly popping. You might want to come with me next time." Natasha nodded.

"If I don't have a mission." And they fell into a companionable silence, punctuated only by the sounds of pages turning and the occasional clinking of glasses in the kitchen.

The first week was trivial, marked by intermittent verbal sparring from Steve and Tony. Tony after that first breakfast, had dived straight back into lab work. Steve just completely ignored him, bar the few times Tony appeared/got dragged out the lab. Kaitlyn realised he wouldn't appear, and simply took a couple of plates of food down, especially when Bruce got caught up in the Science. Natasha was still wary of her. Incredibly wary. She was quiet, not in a deadly way, but just silent. It baffled Natasha because Kaitlyn was not obviously trying to be silent. She just simply was. Clint, who upon Natasha's insistence had taken to watching her from the vents, realised that her poker face was a resting poker face and not just as mask. Or as he put it to Natasha. "It's a resting poker face, but all the other faces are poker faces too. No emotion just poker face. Complete poker. No face."

The others literally had no clue how to deal with her. The second week in, Clint had left for the month to see his family as per usual. Tony (and also kind of Bruce) had blown up one room, and nearly charred another in a massive explosion. Which gave the Avengers another reason to freak out about her. Pepper had been pissed at Tony, Rhodey had been a walking ball of exasperation for two days, and Steve, who at that point needed no excuse, ranted about Tony for two whole hours and then proceeded to question every single thing Tony had ever done. Which is why when Kaitlyn showed up in the lab, almost everyone who was there (which at that point consisted of the entire team sans Clint, and Pepper) was expecting her to blow her top. Parts of the lab were still smoking slightly, there was foam from the fire extinguishers, shrapnel was imbedded in the wall, the floor was blackened, and there were holes everywhere. What came out of her mouth when she opened it, was no where near what they'd all expected.

"Are you actively trying to kill yourself, or is the universe against you?" She asked. Tony blinked. Once. Several times. Then proceeded to scrub his face and blink at her again.

"Uhhh, some of both. A lot of the second." He replied with some trepidation.

"Go take a shower, eat and sleep." She commanded without any inflection whatsoever. Half of them were gaping at her (Steve, Pepper, Sam, Wanda), and the rest were silently questioning her sanity (Rhodey, Natasha, and Vision). Tony literally did a spit-take at her, before he refused in a bid to regain control of his dignity.

"Whaaa, what, no. No! No! No! In case you haven't noticed I do not sleep, nor do I need to eat. And I'll pass on the shower thanks. Smelling of grease is manly. Chicks dig it!" He replied. Bruce in the background twisted his jumper nervously. Kaitlyn tilted her head at him.

"If you don't get in that elevator and do what I said, I will strip you naked, hose you down with cold water, wrap you up into a human burrito and duct tape you to the bed, and then feed you chicken strips and sandwiches like a two year old. Would you like to be treated like an errant toddler or an adult?" She asked politely. Tony opened his mouth to retort, considered it, and shut his mouth, before he took off to the elevator screaming, "You can't tell me what to do!" in his manliest scream. The silence afterwards was deafening. Kaitlyn turned to Bruce.

"I presume I won't have to ask you to be sensible, Doctor Banner." She said, and Bruce nodded slipping past her to the elevator and climbing in with Tony, who glared at her indignantly. Kaitlyn walked straight past everyone else and began taking photos of the damage, which raised her respectability in Pepper's eyes. Steve finally closed his mouth and looked at her.

"You were far too easy on him." He began, and Rhodey straightened his back preparing for a fight, while Pepper and Natasha sighed in the background. Kaitlyn whipped her head around straight away.

"Mr Rogers, I did not come here to be Dr Stark's babysitter. Nor was I hired to be his mother. I was hired to remind him to go to galas, and sign paperwork. I am a grown woman, who on the principle of decency, will not attempt to be that man's mother. He is fully capable of making his own decisions and learning from his own mistakes. The explosion Dr Stark, and Dr Banner caused was in all likelihood the complete opposite of what they wanted. I do not need to discipline the man, and neither do you. Dr Nobel didn't invent dynamite without exploding a fair few labs himself. They were doing science, Mr Rogers, and in science everything gets tested. The fact that I actively provide cooked food that I have made myself for the people that I live with does not mean I automatically have the right to tell them what to do. In this instance however I took a liberty in getting the man away from the lab so he could fulfil his basic human needs, like rest and nutrition. If I, a secretary cannot tell Dr Stark what to do, you an Avenger cannot tell Dr Stark what to do. The world doesn't work that way and presuming that it does makes you out to be trying to play God. The moment you start trying to control someone's behaviour when it's not out of control or erratic, you become the villain and not them. So don't tell me how to do my job, and don't tell him how to do his, because I happen to know that that experiment was in connection with Stark Industries and only in connection with Stark Industries, which leaves you completely out of the loop. You are not his employer, you are not his father, or his brother, or even slightly related to him in any way that gives you the authority to tell him how to run his lab. He is not an amateur, he has several Phd's in the appropriate areas which allow him to do experiments the way he does. Do not equate a legalised science experiment with a toddler's drawing, because in doing that you debase every single thing about Stark Industries, everything about the brilliant woman that runs it, and the man whose name is on the company. You equate the years of experience in the scientific and engineering fields, and the years of study undertaken to learn them to a child at school. And as a woman who has two degrees and is working on a third I take personal offence to the debasement of learning, which _you_ are perpetuating. There are many men who are children in the body of an adult, but none are as erratic and as genius as Dr Stark. Which is why I will not debase his intelligence, or abuse his tendency to eccentric proclivities." She paused as she eyed him up and down, never a flicker in her face indicating what she was thinking. "I'm sure life would go smoother for you, if you did the same thing." Abruptly, she turned and regarded the mess and pulled out the ever present I-pad, and tapped a few times, before she wheeled around and went out the door in the strange walk she had. The tension in the room that had been building abruptly dissolved. Natasha was the next to leave, interested in following the woman to where-ever she went. The red-head found her on the phone in one of the lower bars talking to contractors.

Natasha leaned up against a counter and looked at her. There was no hidden anger, no shaking, no nothing. Blank. Calm, like a sunny day without a breeze on the ocean. For the first time in her life Natasha Romanoff, cold-hearted killer, and one of the most intelligent and formidable women on the planet had no idea how to deal with someone. The Black Widow hesitated, got herself a shot of vodka, downed it and left the room. She could mull over the mystery there.

 **Please leave reviews! My muse loves them! Thanks for reading guys, I hope you enjoyed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Avengers. All rights belong to Marvel and to Stan Lee. I do however own my OC Kaitlyn and any other OC's that pop up in this story.**

The first time Tony thought that maybe his PA wasn't a civilian was when he stumbled out of the lab and into the common room at 2 AM. He was so intent on getting to the coffeemaker that he barely took any notice of anyone else in the room. However to get to the coffeemaker he had to pass the sofa, and in doing so noted a head of hair resting on the side of the couch. Almost drunkenly he stumbled towards it and then went around the other side. In the dim light of the room he noticed that Kaitlyn was staring straight ahead, but she wasn't seeing. Momentary panic raced through him as he considered her being dead, but then the more active part of his brain noted that she was breathing. He waved a hand in front of her eyes several times and heard her breathing hitch somewhat before her eyes snapped to his. The desolation in her gaze captured his mind, and he stared back at her before his brain caught up with the situation.

"Coffee?" He asked her, and she shuffled a bit before nodding and getting up. Mentally, Tony cheered himself on, and then realised she had gone to get him a coffee, instead of him getting her one. He stumbled belatedly into the kitchen and watched her pull out two mugs. Inwardly, he sighed with relief before he started doing the one thing he'd always been good at. Talking. He rambled on about what he'd been doing, new upgrades to the Iron Man mechanism before he realised she probably didn't have clearance, and then he switched to talking about new designs in his head. Ideas for clean energy systems, and efficiency for cars and computer systems. He didn't realise he'd moved to talking about an equation until he felt her press the cup of coffee into his hand. He'd been in the middle of calculating the pressure that could be applied to underwater turbines at three hundred feet depth, when his brain automatically registered the caffeine in his hand and he took a sip, and dimly heard her finish the equation. He blinked for a minute, and realised that she'd accurately completed said equation. For a minute he stared at her and then nodded before heading off in another tangent. In the back of his mind he noted that she wasn't shutting him up or blocking him out, she was actually focusing on what he had to say. He grinned wryly at her, before he continued, his brain so far ahead of his mouth that he had to actually stop and think before he realised what he was saying. It was then he remembered that he'd been up for over fifty-four hours. Then he heard her prompt him, and he continued, disregarding sleep with the practice of years. He had no idea how long he'd sat there at the kitchen counter talking to her and drinking coffee, but it was when she pressed the fifth cup into his hand that he realised the sun was rising and there were paper napkins littering the counter covered in designs and equations, and where there was space the names of his inventions were printed neatly. To his surprise he realised his brain and his body where still in coordination and he was still writing on a napkin, even though he automatically reached to take the coffee off her. When he stopped to take a sip he noted that Kaitlyn took the now word covered napkin and placed it in a stack, and then handed him another which he continued writing on out of reflex.

His own distraction was too effective, and he never noticed when their resident spider slipped into the kitchen behind him and started making herself a coffee. It was only when he concluded his idea for something he couldn't remember, that Natasha pulled him away gently. He literally yelped, and jumped off his school when he saw the Russian assassin standing next to him. She have him an exasperated look and leaned over to read his notes. Finally, pulled away from his work, he registered his level of exhaustion and Tony felt himself sway, unconsciously reaching out for the bench to steady himself. Instead his hand hit Natasha's shoulder and she pulled him slightly closer to herself in order to support him. He blinked once, twice and then withdrew his hand, attempting to extricate himself from the deadly woman. Natasha however was having none of that. Firmly, she grabbed his waist and guided him to the elevator, giving Kaitlyn a grateful look. About five feet away from the elevator Tony apparently realised he should be protesting, and did so. Natasha took a look back and through the open doorway saw that Kaitlyn had started ordering the napkin notes, and then the elevator closed. The last thing that Tony remembered that morning was Natasha giving him a firm look as she pushed him onto his bed. When he woke up after about fifteen hours of sleep, he remembered everything with the startling clarity of hindsight. It was then that he realised that Kaitlyn had kept him focused on his designing and let him wear himself down. When he remembered the look on her face that morning, something in him unconsciously started weighing Kaitlyn up. He was also impressed with the fact that she put all those notes onto a hard-drive and left the napkins piled in order with a USB for each idea that he'd written down.

The second time Tony considered Kaitlyn not being a civilian, they'd had a mission and they'd been hit by Doombots, which were surprisingly built with a higher level of intelligence than normal. The sheer numbers however had been almost overwhelming and their injuries at been fairly bad. Tony's left arm had been dislocated in the fight, and some shrapnel had torn the skin and left deep gashes. Natasha had a massive gash from her thigh to her ankle and the other ankle was dislocated, with a sprained shoulder and a twisted back. Clint had a twisted arm, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken ankle along with a stab wound and some minor burns to most of his exposed skin bar his face, which had thankfully been turned away. Bruce had, unfortunately after reverting from the Hulk, collapsed in a pile of metal and had two stab wound, some gashes and he was utterly exhausted. Steve was the worst. His knee was twisted, his ankle broken, he had several deep gashes. But the worst was from where he'd taken off the largest Doombot. He'd ordered Tony to shoot into him, and as a result had a dislocated shoulder, a strained bicep, and his radius and ulna were broken. He also had four stab wounds and a massive gash along his shoulder. The other's had minor sprains and strains, and Wanda had a minor stab wound that could be quickly seen to. When they'd stumbled in the common room, Kaitlyn had stood stock still, before suddenly she was moving. Before any of them could register it, a massive first aid pack was pulled out, and suddenly she was pulling Natasha to the kitchen bench with Wanda's assistance. The men in the room quickly averted their eyes when she pulled the tac suit completely off Natasha to get to the wounds. Clint had limped to get a blanket to cover Natasha's dignity, and Bruce collapsed on the sofa on his front. There was a startling crack and a muffled gasp as Nat's shoulder was relocated. When Tony turned around Natasha was covered in a blanket, there was ice wrapped around one ankle, and her entire leg was covered in a bandage. Wanda had moved Bruce off the sofa and onto one of the recliner chairs, and then laid Natasha face down onto the sofa, where Kaitlyn had quickly applied a heat pack to her back.

The next was Steve, who was standing there trying to look put together. He didn't have a chance to protest, because Wanda guided him over to the bench, and Kaitlyn hacked the suit off with a sharp knife that Clint pulled out of nowhere. Steve attempted to look calm, but he couldn't hold back the pained cry that he let out when his shoulder was relocated. With the greatest care, and the same speed and efficiency with which she'd dealt with Natasha, Kaitlyn had straightened out his arm and aligned his arm before she splinted it and bandaged it. She set his ankle, and put another heatpack on his knee, and Wanda moved him to another armchair. Tony, who was now poking Bruce's head let out an unmanly shriek, that Sam laughed at, before he was settled on the bench. The heated glare that he levelled at Wanda had no effect whatsoever. At Kaitlyn's order he disassembled the suit and sat there. He too was dealt with and dispatched to one of the armchairs. Towards the end of half an hour the entire team had been medically seen to, including Bruce who had his shrapnel and stab wounds dealt with while he was sleeping. Without another word Kaitlyn had slipped into the kitchen and made sweet coffee, and had pulled out a massive cookie jar. Tony couldn't resist a chocolate chip cookie, and Natasha had pulled out a vatrushka. When Pepper had come in the room three hours later, Disney's Anastasia was playing quietly onscreen, and there were empty mugs of coffee lying around the place, and there were cookie crumbs over the blankets. The entire team was asleep, and Kaitlyn stood in the kitchen over a massive crock pot of what smelled suspiciously like lamb stew. Off to the side there was a massive pan of what looked like apple crumble, and there was two bottles of red wine next to the oven, which held a couple of bread tins. Pepper had felt tears well up suspiciously in her eyes at the sight, before she moved forward and offered her assistance. Tony had watched the two women at work, even as he realised that Kaitlyn was obviously not a civilian. No one saw injuries like that, and dealt with them so calmly and then went on to cook. That was also the first time Steve Rogers realised that Kaitlyn wasn't a civilian. And also became the day that Natasha grudgingly learned to respect her.

The first time they all realised that Kaitlyn was here to stay was complicated. It had been a long fight, terribly long, and they were all injured, even Wanda. Their handler, a General John Kane had decided that he was not impressed with the 3 fatalities that they hadn't prevented, and had gathered two other Generals to listen to his decision. Despite the urgency of medical attention he'd kept them in his office for six hours, ranting and belittling them, pointing out every flaw he could find and making them up where he couldn't. The ranting was only held in check when a voice over the intercom came on requesting the General's presence. General Kane took one look at them all and then turned to the intercom.

"What?!" He barked out coarsely. A cool female voice took over the intercom.

"Sergeant Major Donaheilly, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, requesting an interview with General John Kane, and the International Specialist Taskforce known as the Avengers." There was silence as the Avengers and the General's in the room processed this. Then General Kane snorted and returned to the line.

"Under whose authority?!" He barked angrily.

"The US Constitution, and the Counsel of the United Nations." Came Kaitlyn's voice back down the line, but this time the blankness was gone. There was steel underlining that voice, something fiery, a commanding presence that the General lacked. And Kane, uncertain now in his position glanced at the Avengers. There was a smirk firmly settled on the Black Widow's face, and Captain America was grinning at Hawkeye. Ironman looked absolutely smug, and for the first time, Kane didn't know how to feel about his position. After a moment he pressed the intercom again.

"Access granted." The other two General's in the room shifted uncertainly, and Kane shifted towards the door, watching it. After a few moments the doors opened, and Kaitlyn marched it. She wore the uniform of a Sergeant Major with pride, her beret firmly in place, her back straight and strong, and her face was no longer impassive, now looked like it was set in stone. Her jaw was taut as she marched into the room, and saluted the General. Kane looked her up and down and looked at his fellow General's, obviously trying to process just how much of a threat she was, before he returned the salute. The minute he did, Kaitlyn wheeled to the right, and marched forward to face the Avengers.

"Attenhut!" She barked out in the no nonsense command of a Sergeant, well used to giving orders and having them obeyed. And in the fiery tone, and the snap of command, every single Avenger in that room straightened up, and General Kane had the shock of his life seeing the ragtag group of assassins, soldiers, metahumans, and former vigilantes snap to attention under the command of the slight figure. "Line up!" She snapped again, and they shifted into line, and stood there, awaiting further orders. "One by one, list your injuries." Came the peremptory order, and one by one down the line they stated the injuries they could feel, and General Kane shifted looking infuriated. He was trying to place her, and he couldn't. He did however know that the 173rd was stationed at Afghanistan, and he wondered why a Sergeant Major was connected to the Avengers.

It was Tony who the saw the small camera and mic she'd installed in her pocket that was recording, and it was Tony who had the second worst set of injuries. It was also Tony who figured out exactly what she was doing the minute she took three steps forward, and looked at all of them, and then in her straight forward bark demanded to know how long they'd been denied medical aid. Tony didn't need to know just how much fallout she was causing, when Steve replied with six hours, he knew just how bad it would be. Then without a second thought Kaitlyn ordered the least wounded to support those who wouldn't be able to continue without medical aid, and to take them down the hall. General Kane spluttered, before he barked at her.

"Soldier, you are forbidden from doing this." And Kaitlyn whipped around, and her face had changed. They'd known her eight months. Eight months of blank face, and straight-forward expressions. But in that moment her face changed into something terrifying in it's rage and protective in it's care.

"You will NOT deny medical aid to this taskforce, General." She said, and spat out the title General like it was nothing. Kane flinched in the face of her fury and tried to bolster himself up, but she was having none of it. "Captain Rogers! Lead the team out!" She called behind her back, and then stood at ease, waiting until the Avengers had been led out before she marched straight out the room. General Kane didn't even get a chance to go after her. They marched right out of the building, and the Kaitlyn paused by the ambulances gathered around before she pulled the camera and mic out and then said "Avengers out.", and broke the set. When she looked up they were being put on stretchers, and they were all looking at her. The ride to the hospital was quiet, and when Kaitlyn got there all the nurses were staring. Steve and Natasha had gone into surgery, Tony was in the burns unit, and Bruce was being treated for severe dehydration, and semi-severe bloodloss. The others were in the Emergency Room, and were trying to offer each other support. A television in the corner of one of the nurse's offices showed CNN playing the video feed she'd sent to there. Wanda stared up at Kaitlyn from where her arm was being bandaged. The twenty year old, didn't look like an Avenger then, she looked young and innocent. And for the first time in years, something tore at Kaitlyn's heartstrings. In the blink of an eye the soldierly presence had gone, and she was all grace and kindness. Wanda's other hand was caught up by Kaityln's and she reassuringly soothed the girl, her other hand on Sam Wilson's shoulder. Rhodey hobbled forward on his leg braces, and rested his own hand on her shoulder. Vision looked them over, before he moved forward hesitantly sat next to Wanda. His own red and gold hand covered both of theirs, and they stayed there in silence, until a male nurse rounded the corner. Tony was out of the burns unit, but he was still in a bad condition. He had internal bleeding that needed to heal, as well as the other various gashes and scrapes. Bruce was sleeping, firmly hooked up to several IV's, and a heart monitor. Steve and Natasha however, were still in surgery. Clint, who was leaning against Sam, looked upset.

Kaitlyn left them only to get coffee and food, and when she returned she stayed behind them all, near the door and completely on guard. When Clint fell asleep in the chair next to Tony, she twitched, and drank more coffee. Eventually when they all fell asleep one by one, she startled the night nurse who went to check on them and found Kaitlyn, still in her uniform wide awake and watching over them. When dawn finally cracked, she was told that Steve and Natasha were out of surgery. She promptly asked them to be put in the room opposite Tony and Bruce's, and the nurse nodded. Apparently there was also a ton of paparazzi outside the hospital, and General Kane was demanding her whereabouts, and her immediate expulsion from the military. The nurse was treated to the icy cold face of a woman who was not taking it anymore. The medical staff on the off shift were treated to seeing the doors of their hospital slam open and a furious Kaitlyn march out on live television. Cheers erupted from the staff room when she slammed the General, and her cold and cutting tone was cut off abruptly when she wished the reporters a good morning, and marched back inside furiously. When Kaitlyn marched back into the hospital rooms, she went and checked in on Natasha, and found her awake and watching her curiously, while Steve slept like a baby. Kaitlyn nodded a terse greeting and then went to the other room, where she found all but Clint and Vision asleep. The master archer smiled at her from where he stood above Wanda. Vision nodded a greeting to her, and she nodded back, before standing at attention just inside the doors, and in full view of Natasha. The master assassin felt a twinge of guilt in her heart, when she realised that Kaitlyn was guarding them. Stuck on bedrest she found herself entertained by Clint's antics, but they all noticed that Wanda never left Kaitlyn's side. The soldier didn't question Wanda's motives either. She simply let the young woman take solace in her company and spent time carrying coffee to those who needed it, AKA one whingey Tony Stark.

Two weeks later when they were let out of the hospital, Natasha realised that Kaitlyn had spent most of her nights standing guard. The woman was exhausted, and clearly needed rest. But Natasha saw the woman march them straight through the crowd to Tony's limousine with only the glint of her eye. And when they got to the Tower she made sure that they were all well rested before she took herself off for a sleep. Natasha made sure to point out that fact to everyone else before she settled in her room to read Anna Karenina. When she emerged from her room five hours later, Tony was passed out on the couch, and the rest of the team was gathered around him, sleeping. Natasha paused before she joined them. It was the first time in three years that the team had been together and peaceful. The red-haired Russian drifted off uneasily, and woke when she heard Kaitlyn enter the kitchen. After a moment's hesitation, Natasha uncurled herself from the couch and stealthily entered the kitchen. She knew immediately when Kaitlyn felt her presence, by the miniscule shifting of her shoulders before she turned to face her. Natasha had a brief flashback to the first time she'd entered the kitchen to see her there.

"Can you make a good mocha?" She asked, pointing at the coffee machine, and the tiny twitch of Kaitlyn's lips was enough for her to know that she remembered that day too.

"It may not be perfect, but I can make a good one, yes." She replied and turned away to start up the coffee machine. It was somewhat soothing to smell freshly ground coffee and the sweet scent of hot chocolate in the air. When she received her drink, Natasha hesitated only a moment before she met Kaitlyn's eyes.

"Thank you." She said simply. But they both knew that it meant so much more. It was a thank you for caring. For simply being there, providing a sense of routine beyond anything the team had ever had. It was a thank you for standing up for them when they couldn't do it for themselves. It was a thank you for binding their broken bones and dealing with their bleeding wounds. It was a thank you for bolstering their self esteem with the little looks she'd sent them at the end of every mission and at the end of every training session. It was a thank you for the calm, even-handed manner that she used to handle Steve and Tony's confrontations. It was a thank you for being cold and lonely like a statue but filled with a human warmth. But most of all, it was a thank you for the way her eyes softened when Wanda entered the room, sleepy and lethargic. It was a thank you for the way she shifted ever so slightly into a relaxed pose, and let the twenty year old into her space. And the most important thank you was for the way she'd taken the suspicion, and the uncertainty, the bruising and bleeding, and never questioned it. Because someone who didn't have to care had cared, had taken their broken, rag-tag team and given them routine and a purpose. Because Natasha had been awake when Kaitlyn had slammed the General on national television. Because Natasha had seen the way that shy, lonely Wanda had gravitated to her. Because Natasha had seen the hesitant warmth that was hidden underneath that cold, icy façade. And because Natasha had seen the protective rage on her face when General Kane had attempted to deny them medical treatment. And when the rest of the team stumbled in, both Natasha and Wanda were pulling out pots and pans, helping her. And Tony, genius, irrepressible Tony knew immediately what had happened. He gave Natasha a look that spoke volumes, before he grabbed himself a coffee. And if their voices held a lack of bitterness when he and Steve fought next, well who wanted to fight when there was food to eat. And if Tony kept his mouth shut when he noticed Natasha give Kaitlyn one of her rare, unguarded smiles, well he knew when to talk and when not to. And if, when the nights were long and the memories were too clear, if the team noticed Wanda sit closer to Kaitlyn, they never commented when Kaitlyn shifted slightly closer to provide comforting body heat that Wanda sought. After all, no one wanted to risk the wrath of a Black Widow who was the  
mentor of said meta-human.

 **Please leave reviews! My muse loves them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Avengers. All rights belong to Stan Lee and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I only own my OC, who is firmly established as a badass. Here we go. Please leave reviews.**

When Steve received an update on Bucky from T'Challa, the first thing that went through his mind was "I must get him.". When he eventually hung up on T'Challa, his mind immediately started composing scenarios where he could bring Bucky to the Tower. He was already halfway in action before he realised a few vital things.

Tony, who didn't like Bucky very much, had the power to kick them both out the Tower, and his grief was strong enough to let him do so.

Natasha, who had just found her place again, would lose it, because to pick a side would be very clear-cut with this decision, and he knew Natasha well enough to know that she'd be pissed. Ass-kicking Natasha was deadly, and although Steve Rogers was uncertain of many things, he was absolutely certain that ass-kicking Natasha equalled his death.

Pepper Potts, who didn't like him very much ever since he'd hurt her best friend. Even if Tony let Bucky back in, Pepper was absolutely brutal enough to take up his side, and while he might have one against Tony in an argument, he was NOT willing to argue with Pepper. Ever.

There were few women in the world, whom Steve Rogers had ever really cared to obey. The first was his mother, and when she'd died, he'd become reckless. The second was Peggy Carter, who now was also dead. The third however, was Kaitlyn. Oh how well he remembered his days in training, with that tough as nails, Sergeant Major constantly pushing him. The tone of command cracking like a whip was something that he'd never shaken off, and something he'd ever be able to. So the thought of that, tough-as-nails woman coming after his ass, filled him with the same dread as Natasha did. Certainly she wasn't a deadly assassin, but in the fourteen months he'd know her, something in him appreciated her eyes. The eyes that went gentle when he came back from a mission, exhausted and nearly dead. The eyes that went flinty hard when someone pissed her off. He appreciated the way those eyes noticed everything. The way she assessed who needed what, and how to give it to them. He appreciated the way she cared for the entire team, with the strange motherly instincts that only a few women ever truly held. He appreciated being listened to, and some part of him that was still the little Brooklyn punk, appreciated the way she kept order as tightly as an experienced horsewoman holding the reins. He had no idea what she'd do if suddenly, Bucky appeared in the tower. He had no doubt however, that whatever she did would be near fatal and as terrifying as Natasha.

So, it was with great hesitancy that he pulled off his uniform, and pondered how to break the news to the team. All day he wondered, until somehow it got to dinner, and the entire team had noticed. Absentmindedly, he chewed on the steamy lasagne, and when he'd finished his first portion, he noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"What's on your mind, Cap?" Tony asked, straightforward as ever. And slowly, oh so slowly, he told them what T'Challa had told them. He watched their faces transform, Tony's turning into steely pain and rage, Natasha somehow managing to look extremely unsettled. The other members of the team looked between a mixture of uncertainty and concern. Sam, bless his soul was looking thoughtful. But when Tony stood, his face expressionless, and his eyes churning with anger, and pain and so much grief, any argument Steve had had flew right out his mind.

"He is never coming here." Tony said, with a strangled voice, the certainty in his voice plucking at Steve's conscience. Then the genius turned and left the room, which was now completely silent. For a minute Steve struggled to speak, and when he did so it came out in a whisper that was only just heard.

"I just want him safe." And so saying, he pushed his plate away, and set his head in his arms. For about two minutes the other Avengers stared at each other uncertainly, then Kaitlyn stood and began gathering up plates, and saving leftovers, and slowly they rose and joined her. When the clinking of plates gradually quieted, and the other's left the room, he felt rather than heard Kaitlyn come up behind him. The hand resting on his shoulder tightened its grip slightly, and he looked up slowly, face still slightly damp from tears.

"Whatever you would have asked of him, it would have been too much. The shock, and the grief hasn't been dealt with, and settled in its rightful place. He hasn't had the time to do so. What he believed for over twenty years was suddenly completely different. He never had the time to process it. And it was never broken to him gently." Steve sighed heavily and made to speak, but she beat him to it.

"And no. Don't go into what if's. It won't change what you did. It won't change how he reacted. It won't change anything. You can beat yourself up over that over and over again, but the end result has already been achieved. It's over. You made the decision and it's too late to change it. But it's your responsibility now, to let him cope with it, and deal with it. It's your responsibility to not press the matter." Again, Steve made to speak, and again he was cut off.

"While Sergeant Barnes would be better closest to someone he knows, you still have unconscious expectations of him. Let him go to another facility, where everyone has been vetted. Let him start to recover there. Visit him the way Clint visits his family. But don't push this. They both need time to recover." He stared at her, un-nerved by the way she guessed what he wanted to say, and surprised by what she said. But then the words sunk in, and he slowly nodded. Kaitlyn rose, and squeezed his shoulder once before she left the room and headed to the Labs. There seemed to be a tense silence in the Labs. Bruce was hesitantly looking up at Tony every few seconds, and when she entered he looked concerned. But she never said anything, and instead perched herself on a bench near where Tony was working.

The billionaire glanced up at her, his eyes searching her face underneath harsh eyebrows. His face seemed set in grim determination. Kaitlyn simply crossed one leg over the other and pulled out her I-Pad. She tapped away, seemingly content, and he returned to his work after a few moments scrutiny. Eventually, after a few tense hours, the atmosphere lightened somewhat. Bruce hesitantly made a joke about his work and Tony slowly lightened up, feeling somewhat secure in his sanctuary. Kaitlyn patiently waited until Bruce finally got Tony to smile. It took two full hours of patiently waiting, but she struck like a snake when the opportunity came.

"Drug addiction could be considered a form of mind control, wouldn't you say?" She said casually, and the two men froze looking at her. Her eyes flickered up and looked at them, clearly waiting for an answer. They looked at each other, and Bruce carefully wiped his glasses.

"It depends what you mean by mind control." He replied slowly, and Kaitlyn nodded.

"When you want the drug so badly, if over-rules everything else. Your purpose in life, common sense and the advice of the people you love. It takes your mind and messes it around. Mind control." She elaborated, shrugging casually at the end. Tony nodded slowly.

"I suppose if you see it that way, yes. Drug addiction is mind control." He exchanged another glance with Bruce and then looked back, clearly interested in what else she had to say. And she didn't disappoint.

"I knew a kid on drugs." She said with the same casual manner as her shrug. "He made the stupid, drug addled decision to drive his car while he was high on heroin. He forgot he was driving in America and switched his car to the other lane. He had a truck with a bull bar, a farmer's truck. My parents had a sedan. They rounded a corner, and swerved to avoid the truck. They clipped the side of the truck, and the kid went into a fence and broke his collarbone and two fingers. My dad made the decision to speed up the car, to avoid the truck, but when they clipped the truck, they spun, and went straight into a tree. If it had been the other side, they would have broken a sapling and gone into a pond. They went headfirst into a two hundred year old sycamore tree." She stopped, staring straight ahead, going unnaturally still. Tony swallowed and looked back at Bruce who was leaning against his desk. The pause continued for a good minute.

"They gave him twenty years jail. He had to attend rehab at the same time. The first year I visited him, I asked him if he regretted murdering them. He told me to fuck off. Four years in a row he told me to fuck off. Then I was shipped off to Afghanistan. I came back nine years later. I visited him. I asked him "Do you regret what you did?", he said he couldn't remember. He couldn't look me in the eye. He's been completely clean for twelve years. Last year, a week before they released him on a good behaviour bond, I asked him if he regretted it. I have seen many things in my life. I've seen grown men and women weep over the torn apart body of a new-born baby. I've never seen anyone look so devastated in my life. The drugs he took had ruined him. His entire life was in shambles. He had no college degree, no career prospects. His only hope of survival was living on government benefits. The warden told me, that sometimes he'd wake up screaming, because in his nightmares he'd seen the horror on my parent's faces right before they clipped his truck. When he got out, I gave him a letter of recommendation. I told him, to get his life back together, and to be a better person, because only then could I forgive him for killing my parents." She took a deep breath, and slumped her shoulders.

"Last thing I heard from him, he's joined the community college near where he lives, and he's doing an army training course to be a reserve. He's got a job working as an electrician's apprentice. He has a girlfriend, who's an ex-druggie. Together, they keep each other from drugs. She's pregnant with his kid, and they're planning to find a house together, instead of living in community housing. On the weekends he helps train Boy Scouts, and he joined the golf club there, and the gym. He's got two more years probation and then he's officially free from jail. I know that I'm not going to be able to forgive him for some years yet. He doesn't expect my forgiveness, he'd told me he doesn't deserve it. But someday when I forgive him, I will be able to let it all go." She stopped talking, and went back to tapping on her I-Pad. Tony stared at her, before his jaw twitched. Bruce looked between them with concern.

"Am I expected to forgive him, then?" He said, venom coating his words, and Kaitlyn looked up at him.

"No. Only you get to decide who you forgive and who you don't." Tony stared at her hesitantly, and she nodded slowly. "What you do now get to decide is whether you want him to never do that again. Do you want to have a facility vetted, where he can go, and relearn how to live in the world? Or do you want him to remain in cryostasis?" Tony hesitated, and stared at the floor. His lips twitched a few times, and eventually he looked back up.

"Take it up with Pepper." He said, and returned to his work with a banal finality.

"That's all he'll ask for." She replied, and left. The moment she did, Tony returned to his work with grim determination in a futile event to shake off the memory of that conversation.

The next morning he never appeared, completely engrossed in his work. Kaitlyn left a bacon sandwich on a plate down next to his work-station, along with a cup of coffee. When Natasha passed her on the way down to the gym, they exchanged a glance full of information. When she made it to the elevator, she took out her I-Pad and began tapping away vigorously, sending off an application form to Pepper along with an email explaining every thing.

Steve was sitting in the common area, reading a book when she came in. He looked up immediately, sensing somehow that it was himself that she wanted to see. His suspicions were confirmed when she sat down across from him, in that neat little way she possessed, which somehow combined military straightforwardness and lady-like behaviour. She leaned forward, and handed the I-Pad to him. There were two emails for him to read. The application she'd sent off to Pepper, and Pepper's reply. He glanced up at her after reading both, and stared at her.

"I can schedule an appointment with Miss Potts for you tomorrow, if you wish. I believe she has a free hour between 10 and 11am." Steve swallowed the lump of happiness in his throat, and cleared his throat in order to speak.

"The 10 to 11am appointment would be fine." He replied, tears prickling at the back of his eyes. Kaitlyn nodded and scheduled it in before rising.

"I suggest you put together some sort of document that sorts out exactly what you want from the facility. I would advise you take it up with Mr Wilson." She said, and moved to the doorway before she was stopped by the soft tone of his voice.

"Thank you." He said quietly, and he witnessed something almost human in her eyes flicker, before she returned to the straightforward, blank-faced military style she seemed to prefer.

"You're welcome." She replied and left the room. Steve stared straight ahead for several seconds, willing the tears gathering in his eyes to dissipate. He vaguely imagined a life where Bucky was recognised for the war hero he was. Somehow the interview with Pepper didn't faze him as it would have only a few months ago.

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